Here is a little piece from this morning Sacramento Bee:
SacBee: The Lakers are a near certain possibility for talks this summer, with a long list of contending teams needing a piece such as Artest behind them.
July 9: Lakers start their pursuit for Artest?
Ron Artest update: More trade, name, agent news!
Q&A with Artest; asked about Kings and Lakers
Breaking News: Artest e-mails SacBee about opting out!?
Artest interested in Lakers? Overwhelmed to say the least…
lets trade to them radmanovic, walton, and/or chris mihm. i would probably want to keep walton since phil really likes him, but desperate times call for desperate measures. yes, the kings may ask for odom’s expiring contract, but i still want to see bynum, gasol and odom on the court together though.
we’ll see what happens. many teams will want him for sure, but if he is smart, he will demand a trade to the lakers and redeem himself for not opting out in the first place.
LO for artest and thomas. do it mitch…
It’s not only a possibility they’ll ask for odom, it is certainty. The Kings aren’t just going to be our wastebasket and take radmanovic/walton, who offer nothing to them. Odom is a good player and an expiring k, expect the offer to start with odom alone, and maybe even more than that if the lakers want to trade for Artest. They’re not just going to give him away sadly enough, and don’t bring up the memphis deal to try and say it could happen, because this is the kings we’re talking about, and memphis actually got a large expiring k in that deal, which they will not get in a walton/radmanovic package, they get nothing out of a walton/radmanovic package.
O.K.Enough Chit-Chat.
Get down to it!!
I guess it’s better to trade for Artest, we can get rid of some of the players that suck and maybe open up a lil cap space. DO IT MITCH! make yo boy proud!!
IF it’s possible this time, let’s do all we can to get this man to the Lakers, he would most definitely help out Kobe a lot, HIS defense is what the Lakers really need to keep on winning games.
Artest: “I’m just looking at all of the (players) who…at 12 o’clock midnight (on Monday night) where their teams and their organizations pretty much took care of them. I always put myself in that same class as the Chris Pauls, Kobes (Bryant), and whoever else is out there as the top players. Obviously my career has been a little bit different from everybody else’s.”
kookoo, kookoo
if we’re trading luke and vlad, im cool . . . no LO for this guy!!!
yea they gonna want lo for him.. we cant give him lo..we give them other players and picks.. but i want artest..but FO should find out if lo is gonna take a paycut if not then u need to trade him for some pieces.. but then if we get artest he prolly gonna be here for one season and leave if we dont give him lotta money… so this is all bs..
DAMN RON U SHOULDA JUST OPTED OUT U DUMBFUK
No way the Lakers would trade LO for Artest and Kenny Thomas. I think the Lakers need to also think about cutting salary for next few years since they have to sign Bynum and Farmar so I doubt they would take on any more huge contracts.
If they take lo off the table watch as sac laughs at us and goes into real talks with serious teams. Other players and “picks” is not going to cut it.
lol lakersforlife.. i know but i dont wanna give up lo
Give Walton a chance to return to his 2006-2007 form and hopefully he can be traded for a draft pick during the middle of the season. He’ll be better with LESS playing time since he’s so injury prone. Ariza will improve his shot(most players do after a few seasons) and the Lakers won’t need Artest. Artest is a joke. I hope he gets traded to the Timberwolves.
Get rid of Radman, Mihm, and possibly Luke. Luke was good 2 years ago when he started.. but he degraded because of his injuries.. D:.
I hope Kupchack makes the best decision.. I really wanna keep the team together but we do need a better defensive presence.
I say trade LAMAR ODOM for RON ARTEST today!!!
This is a no brainer!! Why is everyone stuck on keeping Lamar? especially over getting Ron Artest? we have given Lamar 2-3 yrs to get his act together but he has let us down..
Why trade Lamar for Artest?
Defensively:
Playing small forward, Lamar will have to be chasing guys that are a lot faster than him = unnecessary fouls, pick/roll mismatches, open jump shots for opposition, loss of energy offensively, and will pull him away from the boards (which is his biggest strength).
Artest, on the other hand, is one of the greatest lock down defenders in the league today.. hands down.. he can body up any small forward and some power forwards.. he has a personal mission to stop the opposition’s greatest players.. we need this intensity!! he said it himself, he wants to guard KG!!!..if we had him against the Celtics, the Lakers definitely would have won that series..
Offensively:
Lamar is INCONSISTENT.. he does NOT have jumpshot.. this is especially crucial since he will be playing the small forward position.. also, whenever he drives to the basket he either gets an offensive foul, and/or misses an easy lay up.. he can’t even make free throws!!!….in addition he has NO right hand so he always shoots with his left which is too easy to defend..
Artest, has the whole offensive arsenal, except three point range.. he can shoot with both hands.. he can play on the block and/or use his sweet mid-range jumpshot.. he is more consistent at free throws.. and DRIVES to the basket aggresively.. there is no other Laker besides Kobe and Ariza that can drive to the basket effectively which causes everyone to stand around.. penetration is key = it scrambles the defense which free’s up spot up shooters (radmon & sasha) and/or causes fouls on the opposition
Ron Artest can do EVERYTHING Lamar can do, but better and more!!Lamar at most is an avg. player and I would like to keep him, but if it means not getting Artest I would let him go in a second.
ARTEST is a BEAST on both ends of the court.. teamed up with Bynum and Gasol down low, and Kobe running wing.. it is a recipe for a championship.. quote me on that
Several reasons not to trade LO for Artest
1. Artest is insane
2. LO salary off books - with artest u get kenny thomas’s 8 mil for 2 years
3. Artest will want CP3, KB money - which means u have nothing after 1 year; whereas, LO will extend for less
4. Artest is insane
I have to admit, a lot of good points are made here. Personally, I would trade LO for Artest and even take a Kenny Thomas.
The problem with acquiring Artest via a trade is that the Lakers would have to commit themselves to being over the salary cap for the next 3 to possibly 5 years, which is very risky.
If the Lakers, do decide to hold on to LO, they are doing it for the same reason other teams would want him, for that $14M expiring contract.
THEY’D BE STUPID TO TRADE FOR HIM.HE WANTED TO STAY IN SACTOWN,NOW BE A MAN AND LIVE WITH IT.HE DIDN’T WANT TO BE A LAKER(OR WHATEVER TEAM)NOW HE WANTS SOMEONE TO RESCUE HIS SORRY $$$,&&&&’EM!
I’MA SAY IT A HUNID MO’ TIMES….GETPIETRUS,it’s the SMART thing to do.
You forgot a 5th reason.
5. Artest is insane.
He may be insane but he has the same passion as Kobe when it comes to winning… look at Rodman who is just as crazy.. maybe crazier but more talented..
i’ll take a great player who is insane over an inconsistent one sided player any day
plus.. i am sure that once artest starts winning he will change his attitude on and off the court
he was winning in indy . . .
lets not forget - PJ couldnt handle ruben patterson . . .
All I can say is if they get Artest just wait ’til the end of next season when it’s time to negotiate…then you’ll see the REAL ARTEST(MONEY)!
Y’all know what I say at these times but I’m turnin’ over a new leaf,I will NEVER SAY GETPIETRUS AGAIN……instead WE WANT PIETRUS NOW,HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!
The only reason preventing the Lakers getting Artest has nothing to do with Artest’s personality (PJ has said himself that he would like to have Artest on the team and let’s face it, he’s more consistent than LO).
The caveat with Artest, and a BIG CAVEAT at that, is the salary cap. If the Lakers extend Artest, and take on the Kenny Thomas contract, they will be over the salary cap for quite a few years and it would make it hard to get back under (think NY Knicks).
In the end, I don’t think the Lakers will move LO, unless its for another expiring contract (like Marion). They want to keep LO mainly because he’s an expiring contract and I don’t know if they would resign LO after next year anyways because Trevor Ariza will be an unrestricted free agent next year too and Ariza (currently 22 years old) will probably be cheaper to keep than LO.
Question is will the Sacto Queens trade w/ their Pacific Division rivals and nemesis?
its a long shot to convince sactown to give up artest to the lakers, but i mean if mitch and the lakers plant in the king’s head to think about the 2010 F.A. market with like LEBRON being a possibility and D-WADE, i would say DO IT! i mean who cares about the 2010 F.A. when the lakers will be stacked for today, tomorrow, next year, next 5 years! just keep L.O. to keep artest sane!
LO and Radman for Artest. Here are the reasons:
1. With Bynum comign back next season we’ll have LO playing at the 3 not the 4 and Artest is stronger on both ends of the court at that position. We won’t need Odom and his rebounding once we have bynum and he’ll be playing along the perimeter more at the 3 anyways.
2. Artest can now guard the best perimeter player instead of Kobe doing having that responsibility. He has said himself that he likes playing defense better than offense and will be more than happy to defer the ball to Kobe. Think of what Kobe can do if all the attention that he gives to guarding the top offensive perimeter player on the other team and devotes that to his offense XP
3. Artest is the down-and-dirty crazy muthaf***** that isn’t afraid to get physical and can finish strong that the Lakers really need in their roster.
4. He’s Crazy.
5. He has the killer competitiveness and passion rare in most players. Oh btw did i mention his competitiveness and passion are also backed by his skill? Reminds me of someone else on the Lakers. (Kobe)
6.
couldn’t agree more!!!!!!
Im all for trading LO, but not for that nut job Artest!!! Oh, and did I mention he is INSANE!!!
Trade for Artest.
Sure, Vlad, Luke and Mihn would be fantastic, we release the garbage, but it won’t happen.
Maybe LO, not sure if that’s a good deal.
Micth do something. We need monster D to win the title.
Why arent Lakers Offering and luring Corey Maggette for Mle?????Why??? He can fit the 3 and Lamar coming off the bench and or make LO expendable if we aquire Artest. Maybe 3 team deal Milwaukee Villanueva to sacramento and send luke to milwaukee or rad and fillers. Txs
If he had a passion for winning he would have opted out signed with a contender. He has a passion for the dollar…. winning comes second.
Tell me any other player who puts winning in front of the all mighty dollar.
Bingo………that’s something a lot of people have a hard time understanding here.
LOL watch this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jBx8LSwqRpE
Kings vs Jazz game. Watch when RonRon fouls Kirlenko. Ron screaming “NO LAYUPS” Haha. Ron “No Layups” Artest. Crazy Mofo. Tru Warrior.
Artest would have gone from 7 mill to basically 6 mill. He wasn’t willing to sacrifice one million for a chance to win.
Ask Rick Fox who gave up a losing situation in Boston and a big contract to sign a couple of one year contracts in order to win.
mmm artest is good, but
LO is better..
we cant give up lamar for artest and thomas…
So you can understand why Artest didn’t opt out and sign with a contender??? Even Artest is regretted his decision and calling himself stupid right now.
Yes, it is hard for me to understand why a millionaire many times over is not willing to sacrifice one million dollars in order for a chance at a championship. I would hope you would have a hard time understanding that too.
Artest is definitely entertaining. He reminds so much of Rodman in the way he carries himself. He’s nuts and very aggressive.
Maybe that’s exactly what we need. That crazy, toughman attitude. Look at what Rodman did for the Bulls. Rings baby.
another guy who took less - http://realgm.com/src_wiretap_archives/53348/20080702/rudy_took_less_to_come_play_for_portland/
uhh try again!!! how is coming to portland taking less to win a championship?
What scares me about getting Artest is, he sometimes gets bored. When that happens:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jBx8LSwqRpE
And sometimes he makes himself get ejected at games on purpose. Which likely causes him suspension. Which he wants. Day off.
On defense he’s great. He’s the best in his era. But on offense, he seems to not like to pass the ball. Do you notice when he gets the ball on the corners or on the free throw area, he seems to dribble the ball too much which stops the movement of the offense. Why does the movement stop? Because his teammates know he will not pass the ball. I’m not saying that he never passes the ball. But let’s say %90 percent of the time. That won’t work with PJ’s system. But I hope when we do acquire RonRon, he will change his game for the benefit of the team. Lakers will be investing on something HUGE.
He’s a F@CKING NUTCASE!! This guys is damn near 30yrs old and can’t think for himself? What the F@ck! A grown man that requires too much attention!
True, the stupid fck has to walk around holding his agent’s hand.
well 9 - if a man is willing to take less to play for a team he wants to play for (a team not in contention, according to you), then logic dictates that a player would be more willing to take less to play for a contender
we need somebody that can play defense lo is not that person. RON ARTEST will bring a defensive intensity to the lakers like kg did to the celtics…….GET RON ARTEST
Lamar for Artest is not a good idea cuz many have point out about expiring contracts of Lamar. If its for Marion thats a great idea, he too has exp. contract. If a miracle trade happens again ship Vlady, Fluke, Mihm, Mbenga for Artest and filler. What a dream!
Lamar Odom and another one of our late second rounders for Artest and Mikki Moore
8 only old players that have made there money already (Malone, payton) will take less to try and win the ship period, you would be stupid otherwise to leave that much money on the table…
Keep LO!Keep LO!Keep LO!
We need to go after Magette with the MLE. Boston has offered there’s to him and we don’t want him in green. Boston’s tough enough. Magette is a tough player and a straight gun slinger from long range.
9, Duncan took less than offered (for team flexibility). . .
I expect Brand to take less to stay with Clips.
Besides in Artests case, we are talking about 1 million dollars - that’s like 100 bucks to us regular folk
you are joking right 20 mil is taking less to win?
*20 mil a year i meant to say. give me a paycut any day like that!!!!
Elton Brand? if he does decide to take ~13mil/yr this summer.
…how about sign-and-trade magette + a kicker for artest? lol, kings would prefer magette over a disgruntled artest right?
…and if we were to trade LO, rather have marion (if it’s even possible)
Sorry LO brings a energy to the Lakers sort of like what Kwame did. He does not play to the best of his ability, and he does not have the eye of the tiger… he has moments when he’s great but they are too far and few in between. A lot of fans stick up for LO and want him to stay, because of his potential…but if we can get a Ron Artest sort of player for him, or someone who has a good outside shot and can play tough D, let’s go that way…LO’s game, does not go well with Kobe’s, one has the killer instinct, and the other under achieves… I wish we could dump Rad too…
Walton/Radmonivic/Karl 4 Artest please!!!!!!!
Do it MITCH!!!!!!!!!!!!
I would hate to see the Lakers trade Lamar, but Artest would be a great pick up if we had to let Lamar go. I would love to see the Lakers ship Radman!!! He doesn’t play defense, he’s only on like once every 5 games. He has a shoot first mentallity even when he’s having a horrible night, and he really isn’t fast or athletic enough to keep up with the rest of the Lakers.
i’d rather have stephen jackson
ok the video that xxv112002 put up is perfect it shows both sides..
1. the hard tough guy we need(lie when he fouls ak47 hard and says no layups) lol i love that.. and 2. the craziness the he brings.. but still why the ref give him that T,all he did was box out boozer.. idk..
if LO could just have a tougher mindset like artest we would be good.. but we c wat happens.
What good is Artest without Lamar? If we can figure out a way to obtain Artest without giving up Lamar then do it. Otherwise it is too risky.
Last year Artest was AWOL from games wthout a good reason. Besides LO wants to be a Laker and when the salary crunch comes in ‘09 some players are going to have to go or take less money. The Lakers have to be three moves ahead of everyone else in order to keep this team together and affordable. Right now we don’t know what we have until everyone gets on the court and plays together. No need to make a major move now. Sign Sasha and Ronnie and perhaps a mid level exception, but no major moves until the season begins to see how this team plays.
Daryl, logic doesnt prevail here
We much prefer:
Artest is the Pierce stopper, though
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FD796H08J7w